A scene from the musical Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window, staged by the junior cast of the Hanoi Arts for Youth. (Photo courtesy of HAY) Adapted from a book by Japanese writer Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, the musical is anart project conducted by the Hanoi Arts for Youth (HAY).
Artists of the HAY have composed the entire score and 13 songs for the musical,which 70 school students will perform. The young cast rehearsed for five monthsbefore the premiere last December. The debut received much applause from theaudience thanks to the excellent acting of the cast, who all captured theircharacters very well.
Published in 1981, Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window is anautobiographical memoir by Japanese television personality and UNICEF GoodwillAmbassador Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. Set in Japan, it is a story of education againstthe backdrop of World War II.
Written like a journal, the book describes the school's day-to-day activitiesand experiences that leave a lasting impression on the book’s main character,the six-year-old Totto-chan. In simple, beautiful language, the author capturesthe innocence and inquisitiveness of the child trying to understand the world.
The book has been translated into English, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Italian,German, Russian, Vietnamese, and many other languages.
The stage production developed by the HAY is Vietnam’s first-ever musicaladapted from the book.
Production Manager Hoang Thi Thu Huong said: “Being the first group in Vietnam toadapt the musical from the book, we need to compose the entire the music and songsfor the stage production. We are very happy that the audience, including manychildren have greeted the musical.”
HAY was founded in October 2017, consisting of people wishing to offer childrenan arts education and build self-confidence in public.
The group has implemented several musicals for children, adapted fromworld-famous literature works such as Nobody’s Boy (originally titled Sansfamille) by French writer Hector Malot and The Witches by British author RoaldDahl.
So far, HAY has staged about 40 shows. More than 1,000 school students haveinvolved in different art projects by HAY.
Audience in Hanoi can enjoy the musical Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at TheWindow at the Youth Theatre in Hanoi on February 24 and 25.
For the tickets, dial the hotline 0812 790 118 or inbox HAY fanpagewww.facebook.com/hanoiartsforyouth./.
VNA
